Getting his digs in: One of the more memorable comments made by Juan Antonio Samaranch, the 79-year-old International Olympic Committee president, during his recent testimony before Congress concerned his own value, or lack thereof, to the IOC.

"The graveyards are full of indispensable people," he said.

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Engine block: Trace Armstrong has a thing about old cars. The Dolphin defensive end just can't seem to stop acquiring them.

"It's a disease for me," he told the Miami Herald. "If it's old, has chrome and a motor, I have to have it. I've bought a bunch. More than 10. Less than 30."

Boo birds: Just how hapless were the New Orleans Saints before they beat the Dallas Cowboys on Friday?

Bad enough for Baltimore fans to have berated their team after it walloped the Saints by 23 points last Sunday.

"You're making progress when you put up 31 points and the fans are booing you," Raven Coach Brian Billick said.

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Trivia answer: Ernie Zampese, 85 yards against Wisconsin in 1956.

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And finally: Craig Daniels' description of the NBA in the Toronto Sun will not have added much festive spirit to the league office.

"The NBA, like any league," he wrote, "is at once an old boys club and a filthy cesspool, a strange, intertwined network of alliances that would do pre-World War I Europe proud. Deals happen in back rooms, everyone spies on everyone else, and power lies in the hands of those who can call out favors and get help whenever needed."